It's Halloween Time and Time for a Master of Horror

Fiction is the truth inside the lie.Stephen King http://www.wisdomquotes.com/001065.html

A Master of Horror

We were both born in New England, he in Portland, Maine, and me in Marlboro, Massachusetts; we were both born in 1947, me in May and he in Sept. Today both of us are rabid Boston Red Sox baseball fans and both of us have been so forever. While I turned to the National Park Service for a career, Mr. Stephen King became a writer and has written over 200 stories, including fifty bestselling horror and fantasy novels. Stephen King at Wikipedia

While in college, I read very little fiction (Kurt Vonnegut was my favorite) because I had classes that I had to prepare for in pursuing a history degree. While in the National Park Service for nearly 34 years in five different parks, I had National Park visitors to prepare for so I read mostly just history or natural history. Now that I have been retired, I have been reading lots of history to "fill iin the gaps" from my NPS history research and reading.

I know from browsing the library and bookstores and seeing a few movies that Mr. King iis a popular horror and fantasy writer. I remember years ago seeing his story "It" on television and to this day I will not go near a circus clown unless I have some sort of concealed weapon with me. What better time than the Halloween season to delve into some Stephen King? So what do we have at the library by this fear-generating author? (Note: this is a younger picture of Stephen King; he is now 60 years old.)

• Lisey's Story (a sound recording and novel); (2006)

Cell (2006)

The Colorado Kid(novel and sound recording) (2005)

The Shining (a sound recording) (2005)

Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower Series VI) (2004)

The Gunslinger (novel and sound recording--The Dark Tower Series I) (2003)

and others, including: The Drawing of the Three, The Dark Tower Series II,(2003) Wolves of the Calla, The Dark Tower Series V, (2003), Everything is Eventual: 14 Dark Tales (2002), The Stand, (2001), Dreamcatcher: A Novel (2001), Christine (2000), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Insomnia (1994), Misery (1987), Skeleton Crew (1986), The Tommyknockers (1987), Carrie (1983), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Dead Zone (1979), Salem's Lot (1975) and others.

Here is a list from the library's card catalog on Horror Tales, American:

http://webcat.elin.lib.nm.us/uhtbin/cgisirsi/2x1eF3OCq0/168380005/0/49

See critical views of Stephen King in the book of that name by Barold Bloom at YA 813.54 STE Also see The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft at YA 813.54 STE (Lovecraft was one of King's favorites)

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear...And the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft http://www.quotationspage.com/search.php3?Author=H.+P.+Lovecraft&file=other

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© Bob Hoff, 2007